"We Were So Stumped" - Nintendo On The 'Unorthodox' Development Of Alarmo

No snoozing on the job

by · Nintendo Life
Image: Nintendo

Nintendo has just done the most Nintendo thing imaginable and announced something that no one asked for while we're all waiting for something very specific that we're all asking for.

That said, Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo looks pretty darn cool; one of those things that we really didn't think we wanted, but are now absolutely itching to get our hands on. According to an Ask the Developer interview with the creative team at Nintendo, however, getting Alarmo to the finish line wasn't quite smooth sailing.

Tetsuya Akama and Yosuke Tamori sat down to discuss the Alarmo project and the specific challenge of having software developers and hardware developers collaborating so closely together on a single project. Supposedly, this particular mix of teams led to some misunderstandings during development that made it all the more challenging:

Tamori: The gulf between our respective development cultures and personalities led to quite a few...differences in understanding. (Laughs) Relatively speaking, Akama-san and I are designers, so we tend to use abstract words. But fuzzy expressions are difficult to understand for system software programmers and hardware engineers who are used to creating things with precision. If we go up to them and share how we want to improve the responsiveness further, they’ll ask for specifics like, “Well, then how many seconds is acceptable?”

Akama: Or if we tell them, “Make it go boing!,” the programmers might come back with, “Define boing.”

The pair even went so far as to state that development came to a complete standstill due to the differences in development culture and the exacerbation that the Covid-19 pandemic caused in the middle of the project:

Tamori: At one point, we were so stumped on the development of Alarmo that we put everything on hold and set aside a week to go and make whatever we wanted instead.

Thankfully, of course, everything came together in the end. Tamori and Akama even brought along a couple of prototype alarm clocks used during development. The more cuboid variant came with a dot matrix LED display rather than the LCD screen seen in the final build, while the latter variant is much closer in design to the finished product.

Images: Nintendo

Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo is now available for order in North America and Canada for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. It will become available in Europe later this week, while a retail release is currently planned for early 2025.

Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo

Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo

Fascinating stuff, right? What are your thoughts on Alarmo so far? Leave a comment down below and let us know.

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About Ollie Reynolds

Nintendo Life’s resident horror fanatic, when he’s not knee-deep in Resident Evil and Silent Hill lore, Ollie likes to dive into a good horror book while nursing a lovely cup of tea. He also enjoys long walks and listens to everything from TOOL to Chuck Berry.

Comments 54

Yeah, we're all stumped, too.

Nintendo wants a piece of the home utilities pie that their competitors are offering (Sony: tv’s and loads of products, Xbox: series X fridge).

What a great Nintendo thing to do. I’ll be buying this day one for sure. Heck you Switch 2, you can come in 2026 for all I care

I'm glad they didn't go with the dot matrix LED design. The final product definitely looks like something made by Nintendo, which is the biggest appeal factor imo.

It’s good, but it’s no Animal Crossing DSiWare alarm clock.

There being an Ask the Developer for this makes it even funnier!
Ridiculousness in more than one sense aside, I'll definitely read it wholly when I can.

They announced it a decade ago and it is finally out!

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/01/satoru_iwata_announces_a_quality_of_life_platform_business_of_non_wearable_technology

@Friendly a heater.

J/k, no hate for the ps5, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity

Nintendo’s been making alarms since 1981.. the Game & Watch specifically

I love how Nintendo think their fans will pay $100 for... an alarm clock.

They probably will too.

Anyone confused about this seemingly "random" release from Nintendo should take a look back at its history.

I will say, though, I'd hate this alarm clock. It's way to "chipper" for 7:15AM!

Also, I don't see this one going over too well with couples.

Nintendo here to make sure everyone goes woke on time!

My main take away is that the actual hardware making part of Nintendo is also divided up into groups and is called TDD now

Excited to play doom on it

They could be using this same motion detection tech in the next console to have more precise, or even controller-free motion control. So anyone using this will give them usage data if it’s hooked up to the net. Possibly. 🧐

I suppose we were all alarmed by this news today. Also, I wonder what the mail button does, exactly. And if it has connectivity with Switch's successor.

Called it

😝

@gcunit Applause!!! Never give up on your dreams!
If Nintendo can take ten years to give us no one was interested in, you can fullfill your dreams!

@Bobb 😅

A heating fan.

If you look at the top it has WiFi and email connectivity, why would you need that on an alarm clock?
And 100 usd? Yeah, not happening Nintendo

@Bunkerneath The trailer shows that it's possible to add more alarm sounds in the future.

I personally hate the idea of using your favorite song as an alarm. You'll end up dreading the first few chords of a song forever.

....so I'm late 30's and bought this..... FOR MYSELF.

Lmao... Nintendo should have tweeted that a new hardware announcement was imminent and have everybody falsely hyped for switch 2.

just another thing to charge, hard pass. funny concept tho.

@GamingFan4Lyf too bad they don't mention Metroid music in it. I'd like to be woken up by the sound of The Theme of Samus Aran (Dread version)

I picked one up just for kicks. LOL will end up giving to my nephew .

So it's like a cheaper PS5 Pro. Both display the time and neither has any games for it.

(It's a joke. Go to Push Square. I'm sure someone will make a joke about the Alarmo on there. A-lame-o or something. That seems like seems like the kind of 'sick burn' PlayStation fans would find hilarious)

I just realized Alarmo looks like something Professor E. Gadd would make. Seriously, look at its redness. There’s light devices in Luigi’s Mansion designed like that. Wowie zowie!

That's psychotic🤣

I just don't understand what goes on in Nintendo's mind. Isn't it their job to provide products that most reflect what people want to spend money on?

Sure, it's a cute clock, but $100 bucks? And the timing with the Switch 2 desperation just makes this the most tone-deaf thing ever.

Nobody is asking the burning question. Can it play Doom?

Will buy soon!

This will end up with people having sex to the alarm and then plastered all over adult video sites. Nintendo didn't think this through....at....all.

@Rob3008 This will sell out in an instant.

Maybe there’s a secret built into it, like it is supposed to go off one day to announce Switch 2!

Nintendo is a lifestyle brand now, think about it the My Nintendo Store is selling tons of merch.

Nintendo and Pokemon are all about lifestyle brands.

Imagine rushing into your local GAME and queuing for the new Nintendo Alarmo! LOL

lets all chuck out our phones smart watches cat dog and kids we have a replacement. my wife bought a clock a few years ago it tragically fell down broke. for some reason i wake up its dark i dont want to be looking at a timer when struggling to sleep.

Yeah, this is one of those things Iwata had wanted them to make, and I think largely because he knew something wasn't quite right with his health, so he started thinking of products that could help people with their wellbeing. It's nice to see they actually finished that idea and released it as a proper product.

Man do I love how easily Nintendo can drag entitled gamers. I want them to delay the Switch 2 announcement to like a week after the fiscal year ends just for 7 glorious days of meltdowns that Nintendo didn't keep their word which everyone is treating like law-binding, as if Nintendo would be shuttered and Miyamoto sent to jail if they don't hold to it. And most of all, posturing like they aren't going to buy the new Switch.

Wake up, Link...
You really need a Alarmo... 😉

I was originally ready to write this thing off as unnecessary and overpriced, but my curiosity has been piqued as I've heard more about it.

I guess I'll find out soon if it's worth the money, because I'm getting one lol

Define boing.

@GravyThief
Oh it will.

What the what.... what

I got a feeling that this is going to be the beginning of smart clocks, and if I'm being real, I'd prefer that to a watch any day of the week because I'm not a big fan of wrist watches.

Eh. My alarm clock is old and buttons barely work. Sure. I'll buy an Alarmo Nintendo
checks price
ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS!? HELL NO!!!

Nintendo is right. We need a fun Clock, not a Switch 2.

Arigato but come on and announce that new Switch already.

@nukatha Iwata's last project is finally alive

This looks like a late 00’s novelty device, the kinda thing you’d see on the now defunct Thinkgeek next to Tetris lamps and Pac-Man themed shot glasses. Wouldn’t surprise me if they had more ambitious plans for a sleep monitoring device but had to compromise it down into a novelty alarm clock.

Uiummmmmmmm...? Is this from the QoL they were once talking about?

It’s not worth it, one hundred dollars for alarm clock that has Nintendo on it, shame on you Nintendo!!!

I think it's cool and funny, but 100€? THAT'S GOING OVER THE LIMIT!

Sounds to me like there is something else hidden in Alarmo. Minigames maybe?

What's interesting it's the movement reading stuff. Looks like ideal for Switch 2 fit games.

It makes perfect sense! The Nintendo Directs are so early in the morning for so many around the world, they want fans to wake up on time for 'em and pull in those sweet sweet viewer numbers.

its 100$, it's unnecessary, its a waste of development time yada yada yada IT MAKES PIKMIN NOISES come ON you guys pikmin noises. Pik. Min. NOISES. Need i say more

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